Toyota top Le Mans FP1, Porsche head GTE Pro

The #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing TS050 finish fastest in an eventful Free Practice session for the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans. The #92 Porsche 911 RSR was fastest in GTE Pro in FP, while the #48 Idec Sport Oreca and the #77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche were quickest in LMP2 and GTE Am.

The majority of the four-hour session was
weather-affected, with the track too green for quick times at the start and
rain then descending on the circuit midway through. The #1 Rebellion Racing car
had produced the quickest time of the session in the early stages, before a
flyer by Stoffel Vandoorne in the #11 SMP Racing machine put the
Russian-entered team top.

However, with just a handful of minutes
left in the session and bright sunshine having replaced the thick dark clouds,
Kamui Kobayashi switched his Toyota TS050 into qualifying mode and recorded the
fastest time set at the Circuit de la Sarthe seen so far in 2019, a 3:18.091

The second Toyota finished the session in
fourth position behind SMP Racing and Rebellion Racing after being unable to
find space for a clear lap while the track was at its best.

Numerous cars off the track

The session was interrupted on multiple occasions
by yellow flag periods or full-course yellows as drivers pushing the limits of
their cars. There were numerous spins and offs throughout the four hours,
including for Kobayashi in the #7 when he outbraked himself at Mulsanne Corner.

The most-serious incident befell Tracey
Krohn in the #99 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR. Unseen by the cameras, Krohn
made contact with the barriers on the Mulsanne Straight and caused a one-hour
stoppage for barrier repairs. The American was taken to a local hospital for a
check-up after complaining of back pain.

The teams will return for the first of
three qualifying sessions due to start at 10pm.

Memory lane

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